"Pretty sure Jesus didn’t kill anyone" — Netizens react to Luigi Mangione portrayed as Christ at a local pizza shop in his hometown of Towson

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been getting widespread support all across. Many fundraisers to cover his legal expenses were also started as a result. Mangione, 26, was arrested on December 9, 2024 in Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, WMAR-2 News reporter Elizabeth Worthington, with the user name (@ElizWorthNews), shared a photo on X on December 19, 2024, in which Luigi was portrayed as Jesus. The caption of the tweet read:

"Spotted in Luigi Mangione's hometown of Towson, Baltimore County at a local pizza shop, Vito's."

Within just 24 hours of being uploaded, the post gained popularity, garnering over 3.5 million views and around 183,000 likes. Several netizens took to the social media platform to express their take on the photo that Elizabeth shared. A user (michaeltastad) wrote on X:

"Pretty sure Jesus didn't kill anyone."

Many others also commented, comparing the photo to religious imagery.

"This is getting out of hand," another user tweeted.

The pic of Luigi getting perp walked today gives the same vibes, like Jesus carrying his cross to Golgotha..." added a tweet.

"Now you like guns AND gun violence, how patriotic," commented a user.

Several other netizens, too, had the same perspective. Some claimed that while there could be issues with the American healthcare system, this wasn't a way to deal with them.

"I agree the healthcare companies are greedy, but this isn’t the way…" a user added.

"Damn I liked Vito's. Not going there anymore," added another user.

"When culture celebrates murder, we have a f*cking problem," explained a netizen.

For those unaware, Luigi Mangione is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in broad daylight on December 4, 2024. The victim was apparently on the way to an investor conference scheduled to be held at 6.45 am EST.

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The public reactions to Luigi Mangione's alleged actions have been heavily divided

Demonstrators outside the court (Image via/Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Upon investigation, authorities revealed that the suspect apparently had many grievances and complaints with the American healthcare system, as per CBS News. Speculations if that had to do anything with the shooting also arose. This aspect divided the public reactions to the tragic shooting.

Novelist Francine Prose in The Guardian shared an opinion on the same, which read:

"I’m horrified by the assassination of Brian Thompson. I’m also horrified that we let people die without medical care."

As per reports by The Business Standard, over time, doctors have voiced concerns over medical insurance-related troubles faced by many people who ultimately fail to get the proper care. This seemingly extended support for Luigi Mangione's actions.

Hashtags like #FreeLuigi went viral on social media platforms like TikTok, X, Reddit, and Instagram. According to an article published by The Business Standard on December 10, 2024, Luigi's Instagram account with the username (@luigi.from.fiji) gained more than 21,500 followers since the news about the incident became known to the public.

The New York Post reported that a poll was conducted by Emerson College, in which they found that a huge number of youngsters believed that Luigi Mangione was correct. About 41% of them thought that his actions were "acceptable."

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As for Luigi, he currently has recently been extradited to New York City from Pennsylvania and detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.